Pat Toomey: "My idea of gun control is a steady aim"

Mr. Toomey’s remark, delivered at a campaign event in Biglerville, PA, comes at a time when 1,200 Pennsylvanians, on average, are killed each year in gun-related incidents – homicides, suicides and accidental shootings.

It comes at a time when 22 Pennsylvania police and law enforcement officers have been shot and killed in the past 10 years – 7 officers since 2009 alone. Just over a week ago, two convicted killers were sentenced to life in prison for their roles in the shooting death of a Philadelphia police officer, who was murdered with an assault rifle.

His remark comes at a time when cities and towns across Pennsylvania are taking action to combat illegal trafficking by passing a commonsense reform requiring gun owners to report lost or stolen handguns to the police. A total of 46 PA municipalities have passed lost or stolen handgun reporting laws in the past year and a half. Dozens of more Pennsylvania towns are considering similar action to give their police departments an additional tool to curb illegal gun traffickers and straw sellers of handguns to criminals.

And it comes soon after the U.S. Supreme Court recently reiterated its holding that reasonable regulations of firearms are permissible under the Constitution.

[snip]

Polling in Pennsylvania and nationally shows strong support for reasonable reforms to reduce gun violence. 96 percent of Pennsylvanians support a reporting law for lost or stolen handguns – including 92 percent of PA gun owners. Nationally, 84 percent of NRA members agree more can be done to keep illegal guns out of criminals’ hands without infringing 2nd Amendment rights.

1 comment:

Sestak is a retired navy Admiral, but apparently supports reinstating the assault weapon ban. I guess his years directing the navy's activities in the Global War on Terrorism did not give him an appreciation for the value of an AK-47 in every household.

On a slightly different tack (I am in that nautical frame of mind since mentioning Admiral Sestak, arrr, matey), the York Dispatch also paraphrased another quote from Toomey "The current approach supported by Sestak and other liberal congressional Democrats would transform the country into a European-style welfare state". The funny thing is that David Brooksjust today gave us a column praising how particularly Germany but also England and Sweden are navigating the recession, compared to the US. Germany is limiting their stimulus, according to Brooks, and the economy is booming. Actually, according to the wikipedia, Germany's average unemployment is 7.5%, but whatever, they are a success. And, their highest official income tax rate is 45% (apparently the highest effective tax rate is around 40%), they have a value added tax rate of 19%, and an inheritance tax up to 50% (with apparently various types of exceptions, including entrepreneurs). With all those taxes, they fund a University system that is largely public and cheap, and Europe's oldest universal health care system. Strikes me they have already have stimulus spending all the time.

Seems like the conservatives should try and coordinate, get on the same page.